HR: 0830h
AN: ED51C-1211    [PDF]
TI: SOFIA Education and Public Outreach (EPO): Scientist/Educator Partnerships at 41,000 Feet
AU: * Backman, D
EM: dbackman@mail.arc.nasa.gov
AF: USRA/SOFIA, MS 144-2, NASA-Ames, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 United States
AU: DeVore, E
EM: edevore@seti.org
AF: SETI Institute, 2035 Landings Drive, Mountain View, CA 94043 United States
AU: Bennett, M
EM: mbennett@astrosociety.org
AF: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 390 Ashton Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94112 United States
AB: NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) represents a unique opportunity for education and public outreach (EPO). SOFIA is the first research observatory -- airborne or ground-based -- in which close participation by educators and journalists is being designed into both the physical facility and the administrative structure of the observatory. With the overall goal of contributing to the public's awareness and understanding of science in general and astronomy in particular, the SOFIA EPO program will include formal K-12 and undergraduate educational activities, informal education, public outreach, and media relations. One of the most exciting and unique aspects of the SOFIA EPO program is the observatory's ability to carry up to 10 educators on science flights, enabling those educators to partner with scientists and participate in real research. Some 200 formal and informal educators per year are expected to participate in the SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program once full-scale operation is achieved. Educators who have participated in the Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program will be encouraged to continue their scientific partnerships and will be supported in their efforts to carry new-found knowledge and enthusiasm to their students, other educators in their communities and the general public. The Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors will be supported as a national network via continued communications and material support from the SOFIA EPO program office, and will constitute a wide-spread outreach cadre for NASA and space sciences based on their experiences with airborne astronomy. Scientists, engineers, and other members of the SOFIA team will be encouraged to partner with local teachers and visit their classrooms as a part of the SOFIA Education Partners Program. Training for scientist-educators will be offered via the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's Project ASTRO network of astronomy education sites around the USA. This program will enable students to interact with scientists and other professionals on a one-to-one basis. Participating educators may fly onboard SOFIA with their scientist partners. Scientists who participate in this program will be able to work with educators and students in their local communities to forge long-lasting science education partnerships. The SOFIA EPO staff is interested in forming collaborations with interested organizations, other NASA missions, and individual astronomers. SOFIA is being developed and will be operated for NASA by USRA. The EPO program is being developed and will be operated jointly by the SETI Institute and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
UR: http://sofia.arc.nasa.gov
DE: 6605 Education
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting